The reactions of blood and its components at interfaces, including the normal and damaged blood vessel lining and the blood-wetted surfaces of cardiovascular protheses and artificial organs, have proved to be very complex. The problem of understanding and controlling these reactions has been under direct attack at both pragmatic and theoretical levels by investigators from many disciplines. The complexity of the problem has meant that highly advanced approaches from each of the involved disciplines represented has caused severe problems of scientific communication. The proposed conference is intended to bring together recognized experts from each of these disciplines, most but not all of whom are working directly on the problem, to effect the first comprehensive exchange of views on it since 1970. The conference has been designed to question constructively the reliability of present theories and to permit extensive exchange of knowledge among experts in different disciplines.